Marvellous way to progress: Messi

France managed to overcome mistakes and imperfections in their World Cup final victory over Croatia with sheer mental strength to lift the trophy for the second time, coach Didier Deschamps said on Sunday.

France overpowered Croatia 4-2 to lift the trophy and Deschamps became only the third man, after Brazil's Mario Zagallo and German Franz Beckenbauer to win it both as player and coach.

But they were made to sweat for about an hour and needed an own goal and a penalty to take the lead.

"My greatest source of pride is they had the right state of mind," Deschamps, who had captained France to the 1998 title, told reporters.

"Today there were imperfections, we did not do everything right but we had those mental and psychological qualities which were decisive for this World Cup."

France took the lead from a Mario Mandzukic own goal and they had to soak up a sustained Croatian offensive, including a 28th-minute equaliser, before going in front with a penalty.

They then struck twice midway through the second half to put the game beyond the Croats.

Deschamps said 14 of his players were World Cup newcomers but were ready to work towards a common goal and were mentally more mature than their age.

"Talent is not sufficient. You need the psychological and mental aspects. Any team is then able to climb mountains," Deschamps said.

"Sometimes I can be hard very hard with them but I do it for them and even though they are young they usually do listen."

Among the newcomers are Kylian Mbappe who was voted young player of the tournament and scored France's fourth goal.

"The collective is always important but there are individual players who have made the difference," he said, naming Mbappe and man-of-the-match Antoine Griezmann.

"Those 23 players will now be linked forever whatever happens. They will go different paths but will forever be linked together and from today nothing will be the same professionally because they are world champions.

"We will realise what has happened tomorrow," he said after his players stormed the news conference twice to douse him with champagne. "At the moment they do not know what it is to be world champions."

The 49-year-old coach, who also led France to the Euro 2016 final only to lose in Paris to Portugal, said that defeat may have been key to winning the World Cup.

"Maybe if we were Euro champions we would not have been world champions today. I learned a lot from that defeat," he said.

"The Euro final was different. We tried to stay relaxed this time and the players knew what they had to do and what was at stake."

Mexico surrendered a two-goal lead as Argentina scored twice late on to secure a 2-2 draw in an international friendly at the AT&T Stadium.

Sergio Aguero of Manchester City and Lionel Messi of Barcelona struck in the dying stages in Texas as Gerardo Martino's men rallied to secure a draw.

After using Messi from the bench in the 7-0 thumping of Bolivia on Friday, Martino deployed his talisman from the start in front of a packed house in Texas.

However, it was Javier Hernandez who was the first to get the crowd off their feet as he converted a cool first-half penalty to put Mexico ahead.

Moises Munoz was in fine form for much of the game, denying the South Americans time and again before Hector Herrera doubled his side's advantage.

The goalkeeper's 85th-minute blunder allowed Aguero to tap home what looked like a consolation goal but Messi popped up with a brilliant finish moments later to secure the draw.

Argentina started brightly but were quickly exposed on the break, with the game's first opening falling to Hernandez within 10 minutes.

However, after being picked out with a lovely dink from Herrera, a loose touch let him down and enabled Nahuel Guzman to smother the ball.

Mexico were soon in the ascendancy but another chance quickly went begging as Andres Guardado ballooned a strike from outside of the box over the bar.

Ricardo Ferretti's men were rewarded for their adventurous play in the 19th minute.

Nicolas Otamendi caught Raul Jimenez inside the box and Hernandez picked out the bottom corner with the resulting penalty.

Martino's side started to get more joy up against the opposition's five-man defence as the half wore on.

Messi, Marcos Rojo and Ever Banega all failed to hit the target from promising positions, however, while Angel Correa was denied twice by some brilliant goalkeeping from Munoz.

There was still time before the break for Argentina to be caught on the counter-attack again.

Hernandez was not quite as composed this time around, looping his effort over both Guzman and the crossbar after being released through the middle.

Argentina dominated possession with Messi increasingly involved, but gaps were opening in their defence.

After Munoz denied Carlos Tevez in the 56th minute, Raul Jimenez and Hernandez both came agonisingly close to improving Mexico's lead.

The Mexico goalkeeper produced yet another save from Correa and with 20 minutes remaining his team-mates added their second.

Miguel Layun raced away down the left and found Herrera with his cross, the Porto man doing the rest by thumping the ball beyond Guzman.

However, Argentina produced a late rally to come from behind and save face with a draw.

Munoz made an uncharacteristic error that allowed Ezequiel Lavezzi to latch onto a long ball and square for Aguero to finish, before the Manchester City man picked out Messi in the box four minutes later and the Barcelona star produced a mesmerising finish to ensure it ended even.

Argentina's midfielder Javier Pastore (C) celebrates with teammates Lionel Messi and Pablo Zabaleta. File Photo: AFP

It was a year of pure football on the South American continent. Qualifying for FIFA World Cup 26 continued as teams looked to punch their tickets to football's biggest show next year, which will be held in USA, Canada and Mexico.

Meanwhile, a new edition of the Copa America featured six teams from Concacaf, but the result was no different from three years ago as Lionel Messi's Argentina ran out winners and secured back-to-back titles.

In the Copa Libertadores, two Brazilian sides fought it out to be crowned the new champion in an unforgettable final in Buenos Aires, making Brazilian clubs winners of the last six editions. As a result, four of the six CONMEBOL representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be Brazilian teams, while Argentina will account for the other two places.

The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Colombia 2024 took the continent by storm and highlighted the growth that women's football is experiencing in South America and around the world. In the Women's Olympic Football Tournament at Paris 2024, Marta's Brazil once again fell short in their bid for the elusive gold medal, as the Canarinhas had to settle for silver, losing out narrowly to USA in the final.

World Cup qualifying

Six rounds of South American qualifiers have been played since September, and 2025 will see a further six rounds contested, which will result in six teams qualifying automatically for the World Cup and the seventh-place team earning a spot in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

Argentina maintained their place at the top of the table with 25 points – five points clear of second-place Uruguay. Despite being crowned continental champions in the summer, Lionel Scaloni's team lost twice away from home in qualifying: a defeat in a rematch of the Copa America final to Colombia and another to Gustavo Alfaro's Paraguay.

Brazil, meanwhile, although still far from their dazzling best, were still able to secure 11 points from 15 in the calendar year. With some footballing issues still to be resolved, Dorival Junior's side will have to keep improving if they want to have a chance of adding a sixth star to their shirt in 2026.

Standings: 1. Argentina - 25 points (+14) 2. Uruguay - 20 points (+8) 3. Ecuador - 19 points (+7) 4. Colombia - 19 points (+5) 5. Brazil - 18 points (+6) 6. Paraguay - 17 points (+1) 7. Bolivia - 13 points (-14) 8. Venezuela - 12 points (-4) 9. Chile - 9 points (-11) 10. Peru - 7 points (-12)

Argentina defend their Copa America crown

Messi and his Argentinian team-mates put an end to their trophy drought by winning the Copa America in 2021 – and haven't stopped winning since. After winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and completing his historic list of honours, the No.10 undeniably remains a leader on and off the pitch for La Albiceleste, demonstrated once again by their Copa America victory in the USA. With Emiliano Martinez starring in goal, Cristian Romero as a defensive bastion and Lautaro Martinez at his goal-scoring best, Scaloni's side beat Colombia in the final and defended their title.

Read more

Argentina’s glorious era carved into granite

But it was more than that. The image of Messi sitting on the bench after suffering an ankle injury that forced him to leave the field of play was powerful. On behalf of their captain and idol, Messi's team-mates doubled their efforts to send their national hero back to the top of the podium. Uruguay completed the top three after beating surprise package Canada in a tournament in which James Rodriguez was named best player, Emiliano Martinez best goalkeeper and Lautaro Martinez top scorer with five goals.

Standout players

Lionel Messi (Argentina and Inter Miami)

That's now two decades at the top of international football for the Argentinian talisman. Messi was once again a champion with the national team and kept his side sitting atop the table in qualifying, registering a hat-trick against Bolivia in a display that proved he is still more than capable of producing at the highest level.

Messi celebrates scoring a hattrick against Bolivia on October 16, 2024. Photo: AFP

He also impressed in Major League Soccer, where only the ankle injury sustained in the final of the Copa America interrupted his Most Valuable Player campaign in which he led Inter Miami to the Supporters' Shield as the best team of the regular season.

Emiliano Martinez (Argentina and Aston Villa)

The Argentinian goalkeeper is an undeniable legend for his country and club. He was instrumental in helping Argentina win their second consecutive Copa America and establishing them at the top of the qualifying table. He helped Aston Villa qualify for the UEFA Champions League, where he is excelling and he has cemented place as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. Martinez capped his superb 2024 by winning The Best Men's Goalkeeper Award.

Vinicius Junior (Brazil and Real Madrid)

Vinicius Jr was crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player for a sensational 2024. The Brazilian played a key role for Real Madrid in a year in which they reigned supreme both in Spain and Europe. His goals and clutch moments made the difference time and time again for Carlo Ancelotti's side. His personal highlights included a goal in Real Madrid's Champions League final win over German side Borussia Dortmund and a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Lautaro Martinez (Argentina and Inter Milan)

The Argentinian striker had a great season for both club and country. He was the top scorer at the Copa America 2024, scoring the winning goal in the final against Colombia in added extra time. Martinez also starred at club level with Inter Milan, helping the Nerazzurri win Serie A.

Luiz Henrique (Brazil and Botafogo)

Many players could be singled out for their goal scoring prowess on the South American continent. Miguel Terceros, the top scorer in the 2024 qualifiers, was instrumental in resurrecting Bolivia's qualification hopes. Antonio Sanabria scored key goals for a revitalised Paraguay under Alfaro. But it was Botafogo's Luiz Henrique, who earned a call-up to the Brazil national team, who capped off a sublime year by being awarded the best player of the Copa Libertadores.

Peru captain Paolo Guerrero lashed out at the referees following their slender 1-0 defeat against reigning world champions Argentina in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, claiming that the Albiceleste skipper Lionel Messi received special treatment while fouls against the Peruvian players went unnoticed. 

"It's hard when the referee conditions you. They were pushing us, and no fouls were called. But you touch Messi with a finger, and it's always a foul," Guerrero vented in an interview with Movistar Deportes after the game.

"No one says anything because it's Messi, right? Any little contact, any touch, and it's a foul. Meanwhile, they pushed us, and nothing was called. It's tough because it changes the flow of the game. Most of their chances came from set pieces," Guerrero added.

Peru had 18 fouls called against them and received three yellow cards as they were left at the bottom of the standings of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. 

Meanwhile, Argentina stayed on top of the standings, having won eight of the 12 qualifier matches. Assisted by Messi, Lautaro Martinez scored with a half-volley in the game against Peru to help Argentina finish the year as the number one-ranked FIFA side, and within touching distance of sealing their place in the next 48-team World Cup. 

Messi also reached a milestone in the game, moving joint-top with USA's Landon Donovan for most international assists (58), while  Martinez is now tied with legend Diego Maradona as the country's fifth all-time scorer with 32 goals. 

Peru, with seven points from 12 games, are six points adrift from the playoff spot and 10 points from direct qualification. However, Guerrero remains hopeful of Peru's chances. 

"I don't think we're out yet; we still have a chance. Anything can happen. Peru has come back from difficult situations before, when everyone wrote us off. We're going to keep fighting. I believe in my teammates, in my jersey, and in my country. We just have to give everything we've got," Guerrero said.

Lionel Scaloni has been witness to many of Lionel Messi's magical moments over the course of his career but the Argentina manager said on Tuesday that even at the age of 37 his captain continues to amaze him.

Messi, who was making just his second international appearance since recovering from an injury sustained at the Copa America in July, scored his 10th international hat-trick as Argentina beat Bolivia 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

The record eight-times Ballon d'Or winner said after the game he would keep playing as long as he can perform the way he wants and Scaloni hoped he would be on the pitch for years to come.

"It never ceases to amaze," Scaloni told reporters. "At one point I sit down with (assistant coach) Pablo Aimar and tell him that this is wonderful.

"To be able to be on the bench and see the things he does? The team is with him and what I ask him to do is to play as long as he can."

Despite missing a few players through injury and suspension, Scaloni said he could not be more proud of his squad.

Goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez was suspended for two matches by FIFA for offensive behaviour in September and missed qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia.

"The big players know that if they give the chance to play to a kid who comes from behind they could lose their place," Scaloni said. "That breath of fresh air generates a lot for us. The boys are behaving in an exemplary manner."